The Like Me’s

This week we have a special treat for our CSEAS audience as we bring you a month of songs from The Like Me’s! Each week we will showcase a different song from this up-and-coming band!

The ears of our entire office were smiling when we initially heard The Like Me’s a month ago. This unique group hails from California, but they have shown their love and devotion to Khmer music by showcasing modern Cambodian music is alive. We applaud their efforts and invite everyone to check out the amazing talent of these four women! We guarantee your ears will fall in love, too…

The Like Me’s “Sva Rom Monkiss” (Monkey Dance Monkey)

Click play to listen to this mp3. Please note sound files are not playable on mobile devices.

The Like Me’s are an R & B/Alternative/Pop band that started in March of 2009. Bonded by simultaneous heartbreaks and empowered by the love of music, members Loren Alonzo, Helena Hong, Monique Coquilla and Laura Mam found solace in making music and performing. Their inspiration was founded on the ideals of music and art as a means to heal and empower all while having fun. Though the ideology hasn’t changed, they have grown with a new keyboardist, Loren Alonzo, and have worked with different bassists to help nurture their current sound. They include Ben Everett (Case In Theory) and Raymond Bernal (Fakepublic).

The Like Me’s creed still stands as, “Healing through Expression, Interpreting Adversity, and Celebrating Adventure.”

Although The Like Me’s are a Northern California-based band, their audience has expanded nationally and internationally through viral exposure such as YouTube and press coverage. Their fan base is quite diverse; however, they are extremely popular among Southeast Asian youth and Cambodian communities around the world because of their efforts to re-establish a Cambodian music scene. The band performs songs in English, Cambodian and French.

Over the last 30 years, Cambodia has been recovering from a state of post-war devastation following the 1975-1979 genocide that took place during the Vietnam War. Since then, the Cambodian music scene has been limited at best and prone to copying musical compositions from neighboring or influential countries. The Like Me’s have made it one of their goals to reverse this trend and re-spark a lively tradition and appreciation of original music in Cambodia. In addition, the all-female band is attempting to achieve Southeast Asian female representation in the international music scene and hope to inspire other young Southeast Asians. Given many of the similar social problems found in contemporary Southeast Asian communities domestically and internationally, The Like Me’s hope to discourage negative outlets of expression and encourage the next generation to find healing, understanding and empowerment through the expression of art.

Sva Rom Monkiss

“After 3 months of planning, creating, networking, shopping (lots of shopping), story-boarding, daydreaming and then MORE re-planning…its finally here!!! I have finally consolidated all my music–English and Khmer–with my band and will be making music with The Like Mes. This is our rendition of the infamous Pan Rons Sva Rom Monkiss. We hope that this story speaks to ending the silence between the young and old Cambodian generations. In my belief, it is about time that we make that small but necessary effort to understand ourselves by understanding each other. This is dedicated to the incredible Cambodian musicians of the 60s, may their spirit live on in all of us and may they bless us with the ability to express ourselves once again.”

About Ronald Gilliam

Ronald is currently a doctoral candidate in Asian Theatre at UH-Mānoa. He is responsible for leading and developing all online communication at CSEAS in addition to acting as the curator for the CSEAS music program.

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